Only Human
by Ringo Applewood
Summary: Mey-Seri is an exorcist struggling to keep her business life and private life in order. Once her so called sister reappears, she's more than happy to welcome her. But when her feelings for Rin start to get in the way, she fears for her and her ter coming to work True Cross, Akumu Hinamori starts making connections she never wanted, especially with Yukio.
1. White Flash

Mey-Seri ran through the dense forest with her comrades, Rin and Yukio Okumura and Shiemi behind her. A simple exorcism turned dark when the three were ambushed by a demon named Gaikotsu. The group stopped to take a break only to be surrounded by Gaikotsu and his minions. They stood back to back in a circle with Yukio and Mey leveling their guns with the demons, Rin holding his sword at bay and Shiemi waiting on an order to summon something they needed.

"Yukio, what do we do? Rin can't use his flames here, the whole forest would burn to ash and the moment we start firing they'll all jump us at once. They'll only absorb anything that Shiemi throws at them. It's just going to be a stale mate until one of us makes a move!"

Mey watched as Yukio grinded his teeth together in frustration. "I don't know."

Footsteps came from the pile of bones. A white flash blinded the group and the screeching of the Gaikotsu's minions rang in the air. Rin looked up.

"The White Flash." He stared at the figure in awe. Mey and Yukio looked at Rin for an explanation while Shiemi gawked at the figure.

"The White Flash," He repeated. "She's a legendary freelance exorcist. No one knows her real name or what she really looks like cause of the hood. People call her the White Flash because of her fire technique. Her flames are like our Satan Fire but her flames are red, and see that scythe she's holding? That's the legendary scythe, Nightmare Rose."

"But all I see is a staff." Shiemi protested.

"You'll see." Rin assured her.

Mey looked at the girl. She was wearing a white bikini top and white shorts, with a small cape that stopped at her ribs. Sleeves from the cloak covered her arms but Mey could see the faint shine of bracelets on both of her wrists. She wore white boots that stopped in the middle of her thigh leaving only a small gap of exposed skin on her legs. Her torso was the color of cream, as were her legs.

"You've been avoiding me, Gaikotsu." The girl sounded frustrated. "A very troublesome demon you are." She pointed the staff at Gaikotsu.

"May thou dreams be sweet and nightmares beautiful."

The tip of the staff split open, revealing a white rose. The petals fell into a straight line, forming together as a blade. Mey heard Shiemi's intake of breath. The weapon was beautifully terrifying.

"Now, shall we begin. I will make your way to damnation quick and painless." Her question was cold yet polite. Mey and the others watched as the red flame Rin mentioned earlier appeared. Two balls of fire appeared on the top of her head and one came from the inside of her hood. A bright red circle appeared at her feet and she jumped. Gaikotsu looked up, only to be blinded by the moon. The girl came down, swinging Nightmare Rose in an arc, leaving behind a trail of red flames. The giant skeleton demon cracked and shattered to pieces, as well as his demons. Mey looked in awe at the amount of bone dust that fell on the ground. Shiemi's panicked voice cut through the now thick air.

"M-Mey! Yukio is hurt! It's bad!" Mey ran over to where Yukio was laying on the ground with Shiemi holding his head. Blood poured out of his mouth and Rin was holding his jacket to a wound in Yukio's chest. Mey froze at the sight of the blood. Yukio was the doctor out of all of them. The hooded figure walked past her and got to her knees next to Rin. She touched his hand gently.

"I got it." She moved Rin's blood soaked jacket and placed a hand over the wound. "I'm sorry Yukio, but this is going to hurt you."

They all watched her. She shoved her hand into the jagged wound on Yukio's side. His screams erupted from his mouth, spraying blood all over the girls cloak and Shiemi's face. Rin moved to stop her but Mey held him back. The girl pulled out a large part of a bone fragment.

"Nearly there." She looked up and addressed Shiemi. "May I borrow your leaf little one?"

Shiemi jumped, not realized that the girl was speaking to Nii. Nii popped out of Shiemi's hair and presented the leaf that was usually on top of its head. The girl took the leaf and ate it. Then she moved and pressed her mouth against Yukio's. Rin nearly fainted while Mey held in a laugh at his expression. Soon the wound closed and Yukio's breathing returned to normal. The girl stood and started to walk off.

"Wait! I want to thank you, for helping us!" Mey stepped forward. The girl rushed at her and pushed her down as an arrow flew by their faces. Mey looked up wide eyed. The girl's hood fell onto her shoulders, letting long white locks of hair fall. Red eyes shone through the darkness. Mey began to tremble.

"Akumu…it's you."

The white haired girl looked down and smiled. "Long time, no see, my long lost sister."


	2. Mirrors

"Long time, no see sister." Akumu smiled.

Mey stood there and stared at her. The white haired girl she had called a sister when they were younger was standing in front of her face. Her hair had reached to her waist in two pigtails on the sides of her head. Mey remembered how she would put Akumu's hair in small pigtails when they were kids. She opened her arms and embraced the small figure before her, crying softly.

"Y-You came back. You've finally came home."

Akumu stood there awkwardly, as if not used to being touched. Out of nowhere, she had flipped Mey over and blocked a gunshot. Her face was set on a fixed point in the darkness of the forest.

"How far away is the Academy from here?"

Mey quickly wiped her face, realizing it was no time for tears. "Twenty minutes."

Akumu chewed her lip. "I could easily take you there in ten, but with your wounded frien- "

"I'm quiet alright thank you." Yukio spoke up from wiping his glasses. Akumu looked at Mey who simply shrugged.

"He's the son of Satan. They heal quickly."

Akumu nodded. "Prepare for transport." She pointed Nightmare Rose into the sky and closed her eyes.

"Wings of my mother, guide me to a place of peace and sanction."

The area illuminated in a white light. A rose appeared in the sky and they were gone. 

* * *

Yukio woke up in the infirmary with a girl standing over him. She was tending to his head, replacing a bandage. He couldn't move for a moment nor could he speak. She was so into fixing the bandage on his head, she hadn't noticed he had woken up. Only then did he remember, this was the girl from last night, the one who saved his life. Her hair was down now as it was cascading around them like a veil. Yukio noticed the clip in her hair as one of Rin's own hair clips that he uses to pin his bangs back.

"Pretty." He mumbled. Akumu stopped and looked at him. Red eyes tore into blue ones as Yukio's face heated.

"Say something?" She asked. Yukio shook his head quickly, instantly regretting his decision. She giggled and he stared at her.

"Careful," She warned. "You aren't fully recovered yet. No going out on missions for a while, or at least until some of your wounds heal." She bowed her head slightly. "I must apologize; I didn't realize you were the son of Satan, your majesty."

Yukio stared at her dumbfounded. After a few moments of silence, she started laughing, and soon, so was Yukio.

"Good, you laughed and blood didn't come up this time." She remarked.

Yukio tilted his head in confusion. She held up a clipboard as Kuro came in and sat in her lap, followed by Rin and Mey, as Akumu continued to explain.

"That blast from Gaikotsu knocked a few ribs loose. With demons blood, it wouldn't have been a problem, but since you're half human, it was. I put them back where they belonged so they could heal back in place properly, but you'll be in bed for a while until they readjust to your body."

Mey patted her head. "None of the other doctors could handle Aku here digging around in your body so most of them left for the day. Trust me that was a lot of blood, but since you and Rin have the same blood types, it wasn't hard for a transfusion."

Yukio looked at Rin, who was slumped against Mey. He looked tried. His hair was a mess and he looked out of place. Mey's glasses were on the top of her head and Yukio could see the bags under her eyes. On the other hand, Akumu looked perfectly fine.

"How…How long was I out?" Yukio murmured as he looked outside. It was snowing. His eyes widened. "How long was I out?! Answer me!" He was yelling.

"Three months. You were out for three months. The poison from the bone marrow of the Gaikotsu demon got into your system. Rin and Mey didn't react to it the same way as you did. Rin was awake in a couple of hours. Rin still has more side effects though. Mey was up in a week. You were the last one to awake. You would, however, wake up occasionally. You wouldn't know where you were; you didn't know what happened and could barely even remember your name."

Akumu stopped and supported Rin onto her shoulder. "I'm taking him to his room for some rest." She left with Rin whining on her shoulder, making her giggle.

Mey nodded and continued the story. "We had countless doctors in here, trying to get you fixed. Nothing they tried worked. Akumu spent countless hours in the library, coming up with different potions for the bone marrow toxin. Once she got it, she came rushing in here like some mad woman. If anything, you should be thanking her. Even now she's probably in the library studying again."

Yukio looked over at the nightstand and picked up his glasses. He looked at his bandaged fingers and arms. He sighed. "I guess it couldn't have been helped. Thanks Mey."

She nodded and stood, but Yukio grabbed her hand and stopped her. "I have a favor to ask of you. Can you find Shiemi and bring her here to me, please?"

Mey looked confused for a moment and nodded. She left the hospital ward and was headed back to her dorm when she stopped to Akumu's dorm room. She walked in and called out to Akumu with no response. After a few moments of searching, she found them lying together on Akumu's bed. Rin was holding her as she slept quietly. Mey couldn't help but feel the pang of jealousy that swept over her heart. She covered them quietly and exited.

"It doesn't bother me." She said aloud to the winter air.

"What doesn't bother you Mey?"

Mey jumped to see Shiemi standing behind her with a bag and a confused face. They stood quietly, Mey trying to figure out a lie.

"Um, my foot, it was…um…hurting me. Cause you know…after the mission. Yeah. What's the bag for?"

"Oh! This is for Miss. Akumu. They're just a bunch of herbs for Rin and Yukio's wounds. She's going to make a few more treatments for them and make a few more for some common wounds that people receive."

Shiemi seemed to happy all the time to Mey. She knew the girl would cry sometimes, but it was never without reason.

"Yukio would like to see you. He's still in the hospital wing." Mey bowed in a goodbye and left Shiemi in the hallway.

She continued to her dorm and crashed down into her bed. She couldn't help the tears that flowed into the pillow. Her winged cat familiar, Valhalla, came through the window and brushed her tail against her cheek.

"Whatever is the matter dear one?"

Mey sat up and wiped her face while looking down at Valhalla. "R-Rin is in love with A-Akumu, not me."

Valhalla looked at her blankly as she processed the information. She soon erupted in laughter. Mey frowned. "You aren't helping cat."

"Well just because they lay together, does not mean they are together dear child. Stop filling your head with silly accusations."

"What if they are?!" Mey was pouting.

"We shall spy on them!" Valhalla hopped up.

"This escalated quickly…"

Valhalla flew in a circle over Mey. "We shall monitor their movements and actions! Take notes! Connect the evidence!"

"You just wanna be a spy like that one guy on TV."

"This is my perfect opportunity!" Valhalla flew out the window and disappeared into the dark. Mey walked to the window and looked outside.

"Maybe I'm wrong." She whispered to the stars.


	3. Huke and the Cherry Blossoms

Akumu awoke to an explosion that made her dorm room shake. She rolled over to see that Rin was already gone. He had made her breakfast and left it on the table. She looked around, spotting that Shiemi had left the bag of herbs she had requested.

"_You're all just bullies!"_

Akumu flinched at the voice in her head. The voice of a small boy rang through her ears.

"_Bullies and liars!"_

The voice sounded strained as if it was trying not to cry. Another explosion sounded as her cell phone went off. She answered it to hear Shiemi panicking in the phone.

"A-Akumu, there is a demon in my garden! It's tearing up all the plants and herbs! No one can get him to stop! Please help!"

"I'll be over in a second Shiemi, just wait."

Akumu changed into her usual attire, this time leaving her hair down. She rushed to Shiemi's garden and found a large cat demon in the middle, growling.

"_Bullies!" _

Kuro and Valhalla were there, both in their enlarged forms, keeping the demon from escaping. Akumu flinched at the voice shouting at her again. She spotted a large gash on the demons head.

"Back off of him." She ordered.

"Him?" Rin questioned.

"Yeah, can't you hear him?"

Rin and Mey looked confused but eventually pulled back. Akumu stood in front of the cat demon. It was tan with pink ears, paws, and tail. Its eyes were red and filled with tears. Two tendrils were hanging off its neck and another two were hanging off its left ear. They had trees in its grasps, as if it was prepared to throw them. Akumu walked closer and it backed away, growling loudly.

"I won't hurt you. I promise. My name is Akumu Hanamori. I'm a Knight here at True Cross Academy."

"_You're lying! You're just going to hurt me like those people over there!"_

"No, I promise I won't. I have a present for you if you don't believe me." Akumu dug into her pocket of her hoodie and pulled out a peach. She held it up.

"It's called a peach. They're really sweet and they taste really good. I'll let you have half, but you have to put those trees back. My friend worked really hard on growing those, and those fruits are used as medicine for others. We really need those." Akumu dug her thumb into the peach, breaking it in half. She presented one half to him while she bit into the other. The cat demon looked at the peach half and then to the trees. It turned around and placed the trees back into the ground where he had pulled them from. Akumu smiled. It turned back around and took the peach half from Akumu's hand and ate it. It started shrinking until it was about the same size as Kuro in his cat form. Akumu knelt down and rubbed its head.

"What's your name?"

The now small creature looked up at Akumu with tears. _"My name is H-Huke."_

"You said someone was bullying you, who was it?

"_Th-They're gone now. They were bullying me because I look like a girl, but I'm a boy, I promise! They also called me stupid and clumsy cause I trip over these all the time…" _He lifted his tendrils.

Akumu smiled and tied the two that were on his chest into a bow. She inspected the wound on his head and healed it easily, then tied the ones on his ear. She picked him up and walked over to the others.

"Huke, these are my friends, Rin, Mey, and Shiemi. The two cats you saw earlier are their familiars, Valhalla and Kuro."

Huke looked up at her. _"Familiars?"_

Akumu nodded. "They stay with their master forever and ever."

Huke curled into Akumu's arms. _"I don't want to have a master; I want to have a Mommy. You can be my Mommy right?"_

Akumu looked down at the small creature in her arms for a while. She rubbed behind his ears and smiled. "Of course Huke."

* * *

Later that afternoon, Akumu took Huke to see Yukio in his dorm. Huke eventually found his way to Akumu's dorm, with the help of Valhalla and Kuro. Akumu stayed with Yukio for a while, helping him catch up in his studies for his upcoming exam.

"You should be able to jump right into your exam without any worries. I'll be Rin's proctor for the Exam. I don't know who your proctor will be though. Anyway, the Game Makers for the exams have checked it thoroughly so the exam should be flawless." She leaned over him and checked his bandages while she spoke. Yukio thought she smelt of roses and vanilla. She moved to sit back down and Yukio felt colder. Rin came in later with Mey at his side. Yukio made a notice of how Akumu and Rin were both wearing clips in their hair to hold their bangs back.

Akumu jumped, surprising everyone. "Oh! Since we're all here, I wanted to know if everyone is going to the Cherry Blossom festival."

"Cherry Blossom festival?" Mey tilted her head.

"Yeah, winter is almost over, and on the last day of winter, a special cherry blossom tree blooms. They say the petals are rainbow colored with the spirits of the dead and the illuminated ones are for the future hopes of lovers. There's a story that, if you find the other half of the blossom that matches yours, you will find your true heart's soul mate. It's all a wives tale though. I just want to see the tree. There will be a competition, games, food and stuff like that too but I'm in it for the tree."

Everyone agreed to go. Akumu and Rin left, saying they had a project to work on, leaving Mey with Yukio. He poked her in the knee while she looked out the window.

"Why the long face Mey? It's not like you to be so gloomy."

She looked at him. "Does Rin confide a lot in you?"

Yukio blinked, not expecting the blunt question. He nodded absent mindedly. Yukio had never seen Mey looking so conflicted. He reached over and touched her hand gently, not knowing what to say to cheer her up. The left his hand there for a moment, giving her hand a gentle squeeze, making her smile softly.

"Hey Yukio I have…something…for you." Akumu came running in with a long narrow grey colored box, tied with a red ribbon. She had stopped short and looked at their hands. Yukio pulled his hand away and Mey wiped her glasses. Akumu didn't say a word as she put the box beside his legs.

"I didn't mean to disturb you." She left the room without another word, leaving them alone once again. Yukio picked up the box and opened it, carefully removing the bow. Inside was a metal walking cane. He thought it would have been heavy but it was fairly light, as any other normal walking cane. Looking at it, it was much like Mehpisto's cane, straight with no exact handle. It was sleek and simple with a glossy finish. It had three white pearls on one face. Yukio ran his thumb over the pearls. To his surprise, the cane clicked. Panels came apart around the cane and fused once again, making a barrel. The top of the cane twisted around the pearls, making a handle. Yukio ran his fingers over the handle, instantly finding the trigger.

"It's a cane, and a gun." He said aloud.

"She has always been doing that. Hiding weapons in common objects. Like Nightmare Rose can turn into gun, a scythe and a spear depending on her mood."

Yukio ran his thumbs across the pearls as Mey spoke, gaining the cane back. He was about to set it back down it its box when he noticed a paper, folded and tucked neatly into the corner of the box. He opened it and started reading the cursive hand writing.

_Dear Yukio,_

_I looked at the X-Rays for your leg and saw that it would be kinda hard for you to walk on your own for a bit, at least without a bit of pain. I figured that since you use pistols and guns, maybe I could make you a backup for emergencies. Well, hope you like it._

_Love, Akumu_

Yukio clutched the note and stared at the cane.

"Always Rin, it's always Rin. Isn't it Yukio?"

Yukio looked at Mey, fully realized the intent of her earlier question.

"Yeah, always him, but I'll be okay. I always am."


	4. Nightmare of a Nightmare

Mey sat her dorm, brushing her hair, preparing for the Cherry Blossom Festival. She hadn't decided what way she had wanted her hair yet and Shiemi insisted that she wear it up while Akumu remained quiet about the whole ordeal. Akumu had seemed to be more down than usual. Her normal excitement for the festival had soon faded for whatever reason. Mey had taken notice at how close her sister had gotten to Rin. Every day, the hall would smell like food, because of Akumu and Rin being in the kitchen. Akumu had scolded Huke for nearly eating all the peaches and making himself sick. But even more recently, she had seen Akumu often drifting off by herself. She would disappear from the group, not leaving behind a trace.

It was nightfall when Mey had followed Akumu off campus and into the woods. Her eyes were glazed over as she walked deeper into the dense forest. Akumu stopped at a lake. She took off her shoes and stepped on the water. The water turned to ice.

"_I can hold my breath  
I can bite my tongue  
I can stay awake for days  
If that's what you want  
Be your number one."_

Akumu started singing in a low voice. She sounded as if her voice was strained. It started to rain, but only on the lake. She watched as a figure materialized in front of Akumu. Akumu never moved, only continued her song.

"_I can fake a smile  
I can force a laugh  
I can dance and play the part  
If that's what you ask  
Give you all I am"_

Mey studied the figure closely. He had black hair and purple eyes. His body was almost transparent. The rain still poured on them, making Akumu's hair lay flat.

"_I can do it, I can do it, I can do it."_

Akumu repeated it, as if she was trying to convince herself. Mey sat in the tree, trying to remember the boy's face. The air escaped her lungs when Akumu raised her hands and cupped her ears. Mey could see the tears coming down her face. Akumu never cried. The rain stopped falling, staying frozen in the air.

"_But I'm only human  
And I bleed when I fall down  
I'm only human  
And I crash and I break down  
Your words in my head, knives in my heart  
You build me up and then I fall apart  
'Cause I'm only human__ ." _

The figure moved to touch her face and she cradled her cheek into his hand, covering it with her own. A portal opened up beneath them and Akumu cried harder. The boy smiled, stroking the side of her face.

"We'll see each other again. I promise my little Nightmare."

His voice sounded passive, too rehearsed, as if he'd said it before. Akumu simply nodded as two men in black suits appeared behind the boy, taking him by the shoulders and twisting his arms behind his back as if he was being arrested. The boy's eyes widened. Akumu stared into the ice under her feet as he was dragged away. A moment later, the boy was chained to a pole with his head hung low. Blood, as black as night dripped from his forehead. He was beaten and bruised. He looked into Akumu's eyes.

"Is this the fondest memory you have of me Nightmare?! Why do you keep doing this over and over?!" He shouted at her. She stood there silently for a while. Reaching into the sleeve of her hoodie, she pulled out Nightmare Rose in its staff form, turning it into its spear form without so much as a thought.

"This is the only memory I have left of you, my dear Lucius."

"Of my execution? What about everything else little Nightmare? Has the Vatican erased all of those? All of our good memories together. Or did my Father put a block on your memories? Why do you have to do this every night?" His tears were black, just as his blood.

Akumu swung Nightmare Rose in an instant. "Because you are my nightmare, Lucius."

Black blood pooled at her feet. Akumu stabbed Nightmare Rose into the ice in fury. She cried and the ice became illuminated with red fire. Mey turned to leave when she saw Rin leaning on the tree behind her. His body was ignited in his own demon flames. He saw her and smiled, making her heart flutter, despite what she just witnessed. With a gesture of his head, he signaled it was time for them to leave. Once out of the forest, Mey exhaled, knowing that she now carried a secret of Akumu's.

"She does that, every full moon. It's a demon thing. Once during the full moon, we relive our worst nightmare until we've made peace with it. Akumu has it the worse that I've seen. She tries to make peace with her nightmare, but there's something about it that makes it come back." Rin shrugged. Mey looked at him and saw the sorrow in his eyes.

"You really care about Akumu, don't you?" Mey made it barely a whisper.

Rin nodded. "Yeah, I guess I do. Well, I'll be off. Yukio's nightmare should be over by now. It's kinda a bad idea to disturb his nightmare. Last time, I got shot." Rin chuckled and walked away. Mey went back to her dorm to wait on Akumu to come back. She clutched her pillow, remembering the way Rin looked whenever Akumu's name was mentioned. She cried into the pillow, letting it muffle her noise. She heard the door click open and saw Akumu standing in the doorway with Huke in her arms.

"Mey, what's that matter? Why are you crying?"

Mey wiped her face quickly and shook her head. "It's nothing Aku. I'm fine. I…uh…saw your nightmare."

Akumu looked at her blankly and sighed, sitting on her side of the room in her bed. She pulled back her hair and let it fall around her shoulders. "So now you know."

Mey nodded. Then she asked the one question that had been bugging her. "Why do you have to kill him?"

"Lucius…His name was Lucius Vladimir Constus. He took care of me after I was separated from you. He trained me to use Nightmare Rose as well as all of its other forms. Once I got older, he was my fiancé. He said I would never have to leave to deal with humans again. We lived together in peace until the Vatican came knocking on our doorstep." Akumu told her story as she pet Huke, who was sleeping in her lap.

"The Vatican? What did they want?" Mey was fully intrigued.

"I was ordered to kill Lucius. His own father reported him for having a human mate, which was against Demon Law. My orders were to take in Lucius for questioning. He came with me willingly, not wanting to cause trouble. He was under trial for two days and his execution was on the third. They claimed that if they ever found his mate, she would be executed, as well as any offspring they had." Akumu closed her eyes and Mey watched her, trying to steady her breathing.

"Lucius never mentioned my name to the Vatican, not once. He said that he didn't want me to die for his mistake. He told me that he wouldn't want to die by any other hand and that I had to be the one to do it. So I did. I volunteered to kill my own fiancé. He said it would take any suspicion off of me and that I would be safe from the Vatican. I never once questioned him. His father knew I was his mate. He wanted me to suffer."

Mey was quiet for a while. Akumu still had her eyes closed so Mey studied her sister. "That was selfish of him." She blurted.

Akumu looked at her. "It was selfish of whom?"

"Of Lucius. Why would he want you to kill him? Did he want you to remember every moment of his execution? I think they both wanted you to suffer. Now you're stuck with this ever living nightmare. It's not fair Akumu."

A laugh surprised Mey. Akumu was laughing, disturbing Huke's sleep. "Yeah. I guess I never thought about it like that."

Mey smiled. It was the first time Akumu had laughed or even smiled in a few days. Akumu put Huke in his hammock that he wanted in the corner of the room and stretched.

"I'm going to go check on Rin's injuries real quick. He was complaining about his tail being crooked." She laughed. Mey forced a smile.

"Hey Aku, do you have a tail?" Huke's tired voice came from the corner.

She smiled and pet his head. "No little one, I have something else. Maybe I'll show you one day." With her final words she left, leaving both Mey and Huke in confusion.


	5. Up in Smoke

Valhalla was helping Mey get ready for the Cherry blossom festival, while also chatting away about how pretty the trees looked. Mey paused, taking notice of how Akumu made herself scarce the past couple of days. She began wondering off on her own, leaving in the middle of the night, even going as far as being gone all night. Mey had questioned Huke about it but he knew nothing.

"Still thinking about Akumu? Maybe she's off stealing romantic nights with Rin!" Valhalla flicked her tail in Mey's general direction, making the gunner flinch. She sighed, pinning her chocolate colored locks into a messy bun. Standing with Valhalla in her arms, Mey looked at herself in the mirror. She had never worn a dress before. It was only a blue summer dress but she still felt self-conscious about it.

"This is not how a gunner should look." She grumbled.

"Well we think you look pretty." A new voice entered the room. Rin and Yukio were standing in the open doorway. Yukio smiled while Rin was looking as if he was searching for something.

"Hey where is Akumu?"

Mey gripped the side of her chair. "I don't know."

Rin made a sound, not short of a whine. Yukio smiled awkwardly and cleared his throat. Mey brushed past him with a flushed face. Rin followed with Valhalla and Kuro on his shoulders. They walked into the court yard, filled with people. Lanterns hung throughout the trees and small shops lined the sides. Rin looked around much to Mey's discomfort.

"Rin! There you are! You were supposed to meet me for the opening ceremony, c'mon people are waiting!"

Akumu came running from seemingly no were. Mey looked at her sister in awe. It was rare that Akumu wore her hair down. She was wearing a white dress that hugged her form and came off her shoulders, yet it still had sleeves.

"Mey, is something wrong? Do I look bad?" Akumu questioned her sister with concern. Mey shook her head quietly.

"You look very nice Akumu."

Her tone was blunt and came off harsh. Yukio and Rin both saw the hurt in the scythe master's eyes. She made her best attempt of a smile and walked off without a word, Rin following her. Yukio turned to Mey.

"Don't you think that was a bit harsh? I know how you feel about Rin and all, but Akumu is still your little sister. Siblings can be annoying and such, and sometimes you really wanna throttle them in the head. But when they are all you have left, you do everything you can to protect them."

"Even if it means you have to give your own happiness Yukio?" Mey had her fist clenched. A burst of blue and red flames shot into the sky. The gunners looked up as thousands of cherry blossoms fell from the sky.

"Yeah, even if it means that."

Yukio wondered off, leaving Mey standing at the entrance.

* * *

Akumu had finished the opening ceremony performance with Rin by the time the festival had started. After it was done, she left and wondered around the grounds, visiting shops and her friends. She walked alone and ended up wondering into a park. She sat on a swing, not wanting to return to the festivities. The footsteps of a stranger approached but she made no effort to move, much less see who it was. They sat on the swing next to hers, unwrapping something and handing it over to her. Akumu looked up to see Rin holding out a steaming crepe with a smile on his face.

"Huke said you liked them. So Kuro and I made one for you, kinda like a thanks for saving us a couple of days ago. You know the whole well accident."

Akumu chuckled, remembering that Rin had fallen in the well, accidently dragged Kuro with him and couldn't get out. She took the crepe thankfully and nibbled on the edges.

"Why the long face?" Rin poked into her shoulder gently. Akumu sighed.

"I want Mey to like me again, like how we used to be. We used to tell each other everything, even if it was through letters. She was always a distant person, but not from me. I knew you were hunting that demon because I smelt her gun powder. She always liked to make her own gun powder and bullets, ever since we were kids. I only asked to put on this festival because she used to like cherry blossom trees. She bought me this dress too. It was a birthday gift. I hate wearing dresses, but I accepted this one and wore it just for her." Akumu sighed and ate more of her crepe.

"You know, I've had the biggest crush on Mey for a while."

Akumu snorted. "Kinda obvious with the way you look at her. And your tail gives it away. You start wagging it like a dog or something."

"Oh you have no room to talk four eyes liker. I thought you were going to tell him how you felt."

Akumu finished off her crepe. "I was. I was going to do it when I went to give him the cane, but when I walked in the room, he was with Mey. So I didn't. And ever since then, he's always with her. I thought if I understood guns like she did, maybe he would notice me. Mephisto had said that Yukio likes girls with long hair, so I started wearing my hair down. Sounds foolish now don't it?"

"Actually no, it sounds reasonable. Yukio can be a bit blind, even though the moron wears glasses. Shiemi had a crush on him but she eventually let it go. He won't know unless you tell him. You know, I always liked hanging around you Akumu. You know what it's like to be different, for others not to accept you the way you are. Sometimes I wish I could trade Yukio in for you." Rin laughed, causing Akumu to do the same. They stayed on the swings for a while, laughing and joking, unaware of the prowling eyes in the darkness.


End file.
